The Serbian installation at the 12th Annual Venice Architecture Bienniale is a fantastic example of stripped-down, simple green design inspired by a sense of community. For the exposition’s theme, “People Meet In Architecture,” Serbian design studio Škart created a playful installation of interconnected wooden seesaws and quirky traveling planters. Inspired by Serbian poet Vasko Popa‘s wife, who once told him she wished for a tree that “would run after [her] down the street,” the designer created traveling “Plant-o-biles.” Constructed from metal tubing, castors, and colorful re-purposed cooking pots, these pet-like planters form a kind of pre-fab mobile garden that can travel anywhere with its owner creating a humble visual delight for all who pass by.

The Seesaw project encourages visitors to engage in a classic playground experience by reminding them that the simple machine cannot work without the participation of at least two people. What makes the game even more interesting is that your counter-balancing partner could be positioned a few seesaws away, or even hidden around a corner, increasing the expectation and the fun of playing. The day that we visited, the gallery was a futuristic green vision of scrap metal plant-o-biles zipping in and out of seesaws and pulleys at work. A workshop is tucked away at the back to provide for the daily watering required to make the show flourish.